St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-12-10
WASHINGTON LETTER,
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 80, 1887.

w ASll1NiION, NOV. ~, 1887.
Already | have reported to YOU the
current capital gossip concerning the
Cabinet changcs-that Mr. Lamar will
be translated to the Supreme Bench,
that tmattcr-General Villas is to
succeed him, and Mr.. Dickinson, of
| Michigan, will be the latter's successor.
Still another rumoT is that Mr.. Whitney
expects to resign from the Cabinet I'M
less his health greatly improves within
the next two months, his friends claim
ing that a man Of the vast wealth and
great social prominence of the present
Secretary Of the Navy, cannot afford to
cndanger his existence by further de-
voting himself to the OnerOuS duties in
cumbcnt upon him.
tremcly solicitous for the President to
90 to his old home at Buffalo and vote
in the late election, and much diSap-
pointmcnt was felt that he did not graf
ily public expectation in that respect
But the President had a good reason
for absentlng himself, as he had learned
from trustworthy sources, that his pres
ence at the polls would have been the
occasion Of an undignitiCd and unSeem-
ly demonstration on the part Of club
of intensely partisan Republicans, as it
was their uupatr!Otic purpose to chal-
lenge Mr.. Clevcland's right to vote, on
the ground that he is not now Il legal
resident Of Buffalo. In view Of this cX-
posed conspiracy, it is doubtful if Mr..
Cleveland again votes during his Pres
idcncS, and when his motive is uudcr-
stood, it will be applaUded by all un-
biased minds.
Messrs. Carlisle and Randall are both
in the city, and while neither is willing
to Take the public into his confidence,
through the medium of the press, it is
highly probable that these great lead
ecrS may have an informal conference
before the meeting of Congress, with
the view of making the two wings of
Democracy tap together, on the tariff
question, in the language of Mr.. Ran
dali during a speech in the Forty ninth
Congress.
The forthcoming report Of Secretary
FaTchild is awaited with DO ordinary
derce Of interest by the financial world,
as it is expected that he viii take adj
vanced grounds on the questions OF the
Treasury surplus, and the silver cur
rency. That the Secretary is labOgious-
ly and carefully applying himself to the
important undertaking that dCvolves
upon him, is evidenced by the fact that
to accomplish it he has for several days
confined himself to the privacy Of his
home, in order not to be diverted
from his work 10y visitors to the Depart
ment.
Secretary Lamar in lis report, which
Is completed but not yet published, rec
ommends that the iutrr-S State Com
mcrcc Commission be detached from
the Interior Department and made di
Tcctly Responsible to Congress or the
President for It's acts, as at present the
Secretary of the Interior only oiiiciates
i'll the capacity of discussing officer for
the Commission, it appearing that he
has no jurisdiction over that body at
all
There is great pressure Of business
issuing agricultural patents, $500 hay
ing been made out during tho past
month. and others in course Of pre1ara-
tion will increase the number to 5000
for the month Of November, which al
most 0utrivai& any previous record.
The balance of power in the United
States senate is lodged with the roll
licking Riddieherger, the Senator from
Y Irginia, who holds in the hollow of his
hand tie political future Of three Dem
oclatic claimants to seatS-MesSTS. In
cas- q Faulkner, Of West Virginia. and
Mr.. Turpie. Of Indiana. Senator Rid
dlehergcr states that he will endeavOr
to act rs cOnSCieutjously in these con-
as il he were on the Su-
preme Bench OF the United States.
The Republican Senate has more than
enough chairmanships to go around,
there being fOItv-seycn Senate commit
tees to only tIlrty-tight Republican